>>> NOT JUST ONE, BUT SEVEN
UNVACCINATED TRAVELERS DIAGNOSED
WITH MEASLES ENTERED THE COUNTY
BETWEEN OCTOBER 1st AND
OCTOBER 17th, LEADING TO 153
CONFIRMED CASES AND THIS IS THE
LONGEST OUTBREAK IN THE U.S. DUE
TO MEASLES SINCE THE DISEASE WAS
OFFICIALLY ERADICATED IN 2000.
MARIA: THAT WAS ROCKLAND COUNTY
EXECUTIVE, ED DAY, DECLARING A
PUBLIC EMERGENCY IN THE NEW YORK
CITY SUBURB YESTERDAY.
THE COUNTY TAKES AN
UNPRECEDENTED STEP OF BANNING
MINORS WHO HAVE NOT BEEN
VACCINATED FOR MEASLES FROM ANY
PUBLIC SPACES WITHIN THE COUNTY,
AFTER 153 CASES HAVE BEEN
CONFIRMED IN ROCKLAND SINCE
OCTOBER.
JOINING US NOW, DOCTOR MIKHAIL
VARSHAVSKI.
ALSO KNOWN AS DR. MIK.
WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE MEASLES
OUTBREAK?
>> THERE'S A LOT OF
MISINFORMATION FLOATING AROUND
VERY SPECIFIC COMMUNITIES AND
ONE OF THE BIGGEST COMMUNITIES
IN THE UNITED STATES HAPPENS TO
BE IN ROCKLAND COUNTY.
THERE'S 153 CASES, THAT'S BEEN
GOING ON THROUGH OCTOBER.
THIS YEAR THERE'S ABOUT 50
CASES.
I'M PROUD THAT ROCKLAND COUNTY
IS TAKING STEPS, NOT ONLY
PREVENTING CHILDREN WHO ARE NOT
VACCINATED FROM ATTENDING SCHOOL
BUT ALSO TRYING TO LIMIT THE
SPREAD BECAUSE MEASLES SPREADS
LIKE WILDFIRE.
IF SOMEONE WHO IS NOT VACCINATED
IS EXPOSED TO SOMEONE WHO HAS
MEASLES, 90% LIKELIHOOD THEY
WILL CATCH IT.
THIS ISN'T SOMETHING THAT
THEY'RE TAKING LIGHTLY.
THEY DON'T WANT THIS TO BECOME
AN EPIDEMIC WHERE THE ENTIRE
COUNTY'S COVERED IN MEASLES.
BECAUSE PEOPLE WILL DIE.
BEFORE THE VACCINE WAS AROUND,
450 PEOPLE A YEAR WOULD DIE AS A
RESULT OF MEASLES.
WE SHOULD NOT HAVE THIS IN THE
UNITED STATES WHEN WE HAVE A
VACCINE THAT IF TAKEN PROPERLY,
WORKS 95, 96% OF THE TIME.
>> JUST SAY IT DIRECTLY.
FOR SOME REASON, THIS IS NOT
GETTING THROUGH TO PEOPLE.
THE VACCINE IS SAFE.
PARENTS NEED TO VACCINATE THEIR
CHILDREN.
JUST SAY THAT.
>> THIS HAS BEEN SAID MULTIPLE
TIMES OVER.
VACCINES ARE SAFE.
THEY NEED TO BE GIVEN.
VACCINES DO HAVE SIDE EFFECTS.
BUT THOSE SIDE EFFECTS ARE NOT
NEARLY AS EQUIVALENT TO THE
DANGER IF YOU GET MEASLES AND
CAN RESULT EVEN IN DEATH.
IT'S SCARY.
DAGEN: THE SIDE EFFECT ISN'T
AUTISM.
>> THE AUTISM --
DAGEN: THAT'S WHERE THE
ANTI-VACCINE CROWD, THAT WHAT
WAS THEY WERE HITTING ON.
BY THE WAY, THESE INDIVIDUALS
WERE ALLOWED TO GO ON TV AND
RADIO AND BASICALLY SPREAD THIS
GARBAGE FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND
YEARS.
AND SO TO REVERSE THAT IS GOING
TO BE DIFFICULT.
MARIA: IF YOU GOT VACCINATED
ALREADY, LIKE WHEN YOU WERE A
KID, YOU CAN'T GET IT AGAIN.
SOME PEOPLE GET BOOSTER SHOTS,
RIGHT 1234.
>>
?>> IF YOU'RE GOING INTO A HIGH
RISK SETTING, A HEALTHCARE
SETTING, YOU NEED TO GET AT THIS
SETTING, YOU NEED TO GET AT THIA
SETTING, YOU NEED TO GET AT THIT
SETTING, YOU NEED TO GET AT THII
SETTING, YOU NEED TO GET AT THIS
SETTING, YOU NEED TO GET AT THIT
SETTING, YOU NEED TO GET AT THIR
SETTING, YOU NEED TO GET AT THIS
TO PROVE YOU'RE IMMUNE.
IF YOU GOT VACCINATED AS A
CHILD, YOU ARE IMMUNE.
DAGEN: A TITER IS A BLOOD TEST
TO FIND OUT IF THE ANTIBODIES
ARE PRESENT TO FIGHT THE
DISEASE.
>> LOOKING AT THE ROCKLAND
COUNTY BAN, WHERE IT ALLOWS
PEOPLE THAT ARE UNVACCINATE TODD
GO IN PUBLIC PARKS, WHY DO THEY
ALLOW THEM TO GO TO PUBLIC PARKS
AND NOT TO SCHOOLS.
>> I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS
SPECIFICALLY AROUND PUBLIC
PARKS.
I KNOW THEY FOCUSED ON AREAS
WHERE PEOPLE WERE IN A CONFINED
ENVIRONMENT, FOR EXAMPLE, MALLS,
WHERE PEOPLE WILL BE IN CLOSE
PROXIMITY, THEY'LL BE SNEEZING,
TOUCHING THE SAME OBJECT.
IN A PARK, THERE'S LESS
LIKELIHOOD OF CONTAMINATION.
THAT COULD BE ONE OF THE THOUGHT
PROCESSES.
>> WHAT IS THE LAW AROUND
RESTRICTING PEOPLE FOR HEALTH
AND SAFETY?
>> WELL, THE LAW COMES FROM --
JUDGE NAP WILL BE A BETTER
PERSON TO ASK THAT.
THE WAY THEY'RE MAKING THIS
HAPPEN IS BY CREATING AN
EMERGENCY SESSION, WHERE THEY'RE
SAYING BECAUSE THIS IS A PUBLIC
CRISIS, THERE'S AN EMERGENCY
GOING ON, WE'RE GOING TO
INSTITUTE THIS POLICY AND
THEY'RE ONLY INSTITUTING THIS
FOR A PERIOD OF 30 DAYS.
NOT LIKE THEY'RE PLANNING ON
PUTTING PEOPLE IN JAIL FOR THIS.
THEY WANT TO USE THIS AS A WAY
TO SHOW PEOPLE HOW SERIOUS THEY
ARE AND WHY WE NEED TO GET THIS
UNDER CONTROL QUICKLY.
MARIA: WHAT ABOUT THIS, THE
MALE BIRTH CONTROL PILL CLOSER
THAN EVER ACCORDING TO THE
ENDOCRINE SOCIETY.
>> IT'S FUNNY, BECAUSE THERE'S
BEEN A LOT OF PUSH TO MAKE THIS
HAPPEN.
BUT THE QUESTION WILL BECOME,
WILL MEN ACTUALLY WANT TO TAKE
THIS MEDICATION.
POLLING DATA SHOWS IT'S SPLIT
SOMEWHERE DOWN THE MIDDLE.
THIS INITIAL STUDY WAS LOOKING
AT SAFETY PROFILE OF THE
MEDICATIONS.
IT FOUND THAT ALL OF THE
PATIENTS THAT WERE INVOLVED IN
THE STUDY COULD FINISH THE STUDY
SO NONE OF THE SIDE EFFECTS WERE
TOO INTENSE.
HOWEVER, THE MEDICATION WILL
STILL BE AT LEAST 10 YEARS AWAY.
THIS ISN'T SOMETHING THAT'S
COMING ON THE HORIZON IN THE
NEXT YEAR OR TWO.
THERE'S A LOT OF WORK TO BE
DONE.